


Blossoms in Winter

by ariannadi



Series: The Inquisition Remains [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Babies, Childbirth, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family, Fluff, It's really fluffy like fuck me, Love, Post-Trespasser, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2017-01-22
Packaged: 2018-09-18 11:31:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9383126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariannadi/pseuds/ariannadi
Summary: Cullen knew for a fact that this was the most terrified he had ever been.





	

Cullen knew for a fact that this was the most terrified he had ever been.

Normally the man could keep his wits about him under pressuring circumstances, but such a feat was impossible at the moment. He was powerless to assist with the situation at hand, and it left him in absolute fear and helplessness.

Arian was groaning in understandable pain, her back propped up against at least ten pillows in their large bed. Healers and the like were hurrying to and fro about their room, gathering things and placing them elsewhere, one in particular kneeling in front of his wife’s legs with a determined expression.

“That’s a good lass,” the elderly woman muttered to the elf, raising her head to offer a little smile. “Keep your focus, my lady.”

Arian just grunted as her head rolled into the nook of her husband’s shoulder, who was sitting just beside her on the mattress with his hand tightly clasped in her own. Cullen wasn’t about to reveal just how frightened he was - not when she needed his strength more than anything in that instance.

He found himself reflecting on how the healers had attempted to chase him from the room the moment Arian went into labor hours previous. He had been his stubborn, commanding self when he refused to leave her side, he wasn’t about to falter now.

“You are doing wonderful, my love,” he whispered to her, leaving a soft kiss to her sweaty forehead. Tresses of platinum hair curled around her face, and her cheeks were flushed red from exertion. Though she had argued earlier that she looked awful, Cullen disagreed. Never had she been more beautiful than in that very moment.

Arian opened her eyes and tilted her head up at him, a labored breath escaping her lungs.

“It hurts,” she whimpered, “Creators, this hurts more than _anything._ ” The last word left her mouth in a hiss, her face crumpling as her hand painfully tightened around Cullen’s.

The commander wished with everything in him that he could help somehow - all the while knowing this was a natural part of life that Arian had to handle on her own. That didn’t stop his heart from aching for his beloved, his thumb kneading her knuckles in an attempt at comfort.

“I know, darling, I know,” he murmured soothingly, kissing the tears that slid down her cheeks. “But just think, as soon as this is over we will have two _beautiful_ children to love unconditionally. You just have to stay strong, Arian. You can do this. I _know_ you can.”

She nodded once, moving to sit upright when the midwife informed her she’d need to start pushing again. Arian did so, her face turning an even darker shade of red as she forced everything she had into her midsection. When she reached her limit she fell back against the pillows with a heavy gasp, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

“That was wonderful, dear,” the midwife happily expressed. “The babe has begun to crown.”

Cullen’s breath caught at the announcement, knowing it wouldn’t be too long before their first baby came into the world. Arian seemed to be in the same frame of mind, as she was already sitting up again with a fierce look in her eyes. At the elderly woman’s command, she pushed with all of her might, her body shaking from the intensity.

“Here comes the head!” the midwife barked, and the healers clamoring about immediately rushed to grab blankets and other objects. Arian relaxed for a few seconds before she gave it her all, a pained whine leaving her as she hunched over.

“Cullen!” she practically screamed, her hand clamping around his like a vice.

Ignoring the pain in his fingers, Cullen just continued to offer what support he could. “Keep pushing, Arian. Keep going. You’re almost there, love. Just a little more,” he adamantly reassured her. 

He couldn’t see what was happening below from where he sat, but just a few seconds after Arian pushed again, the midwife made a tugging motion, leaned forward, and caught a tiny pink being from between her legs - who began wailing _beautifully_  just seconds after they were lifted into the air.

Time seemed to freeze, as did the commander’s heart. Everything he had ever known up to that point was suddenly separated into _before_ , and _after_.

Their child had been safely born. Their child was _crying_.

“It’s a boy, my lady,” the midwife announced as she held the baby out to one of the healers, who gently started toweling off the blood and fluid from his body before snipping his cord.

“You did it, my love. You did it. We have a little boy,” Cullen nearly cried as he pressed numerous kisses to Arian’s face, the elf all the while still trying to catch her breath. Lifting his head to watch as their tiny son was swaddled, Cullen choked out, “Maker, he's absolutely perfect.”

“Is the baby alright?” Arian sniffled, sitting up to see him for herself. “He’s healthy?”

“Perfectly healthy, my lady. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a more powerful set of lungs,” the elderly woman confirmed, bringing the bundled babe to his mother and placing him against her chest. Cullen couldn’t stop tears from beading in his eyes at the sight of their son, so small and fragile and perfect in every possible way.

“He’s so b-beautiful,” Arian hiccuped, pressing a gentle kiss to the downy hair on top of the baby’s head. Their son continued to wail from being in such a chilly, unfamiliar environment, but quickly grew quiet as the warmth and familiarity of Arian’s bosom seeped into his frame.

Cullen was completely mesmerized by the little miracle, his eyes scanning every inch of the baby’s face and memorizing every detail. He was clearly Arian’s son, evidenced by the gorgeous blue eyes that blearily opened and closed. His hair and nose could be solely attributed to Cullen alone, the soft wisps already curling upward and his pudgy snoot set at a tiny angle.

The most apparent feature, however, were his ears, which curled into a shell just like his father’s. Cullen had expected such when Arian told him that half-elven children primarily took after their human parent, but a disappointed part of him had hoped the opposite for her sake.

The commander was dragged from his observation once the midwife announced that their second child was quickly on the way, and instantly Arian readied herself as she sat up against the pillows. 

“Should be no time at all,” the midwife said, once again taking her place at the foot of the bed. Resting his hand over Arian’s, Cullen leaned over and kissed her forehead, encouraging her to hang on just a little more.

Just as the elderly woman predicted, within a few minutes the baby had crowned, and with an exhausted groan Arian managed to smoothly deliver their second child.

“And we have us a girl,” the midwife directed to the parents, then moved to have the babe cleaned and swaddled. Cullen’s heart instantly swelled at the news. Their daughter, though a bit tinier, was just as beautiful and perfect as their son. Her cries were as sweet as a bell, softer than her brother’s but no less meaningful.

“Our little girl,” Arian cooed through a wet sob, her eyes following the squalling bundle in the healer’s arms until she was at her side. Said healer, noting Arian’s capacity, handed the baby over to Cullen, who hesitantly and gingerly took her into his arms. He stared down at the baby in awe, more tears blurring his vision as he contemplated the warm heaviness of her little body in his protective embrace.

She looked similar to her brother, but had inherited the delicately graceful features of her mother - right down to the soft slope of her nose. The same dazzling blue eyes gazed up at him, swollen from birth but enamoring all the same.

She was his daughter, and had shared the same womb with his son. He was _father_ to them both.

“I love you, little one,” Cullen whispered through his tears, bending his head to press a lingering kiss to her ever so small brow. He then leaned over and left another kiss to his son’s head, repeating the same words.

Noticing her attempts to see the baby in his arms, Cullen turned his body toward Arian’s until the little girl was practically against her chest. As she properly gazed upon their daughter for the first time, Arian’s eyes instantly brimmed with motherly affection - a sight that left Cullen breathless.

“My little angel,” she whispered, lowering her lips to the baby’s nose and leaving a delicate kiss.

“She looks like you,” Cullen murmured to her, which caused Arian’s face to light up in appreciation.

“Have you decided on names?” one of the healers asked whilst preparing the miniature basin that would serve as the twins’ bath.

Arian nodded, but kept her focus plastered on the two children. “Adam is our little boy, and our baby girl is Celeste.” she answered, the reality of it all causing a wide smile to bloom on her cheeks.

They had decided on the names months previous, feeling them appropriate should their twins be differing sexes. Looking down at them now, Cullen knew for a fact they were perfect for the pair.

“Adam and Celeste…” he murmured, his eyes bouncing back and forth between the two of them. “Maker,” he chuckled, emphasized by the lump of emotion in his throat, “It’s hard to fathom that they’re actually here.”

Arian hummed in agreement, her eyes starting to droop slightly from exhaustion. The healers and midwife had gotten to work in helping her pass the afterbirth and tend to anything else, but the new mother was too preoccupied by the twins to even notice.

Cullen took in the sight of her then, his heart pounding in his chest when he realized just who she was to him now. His friend, his support, his lover, his wife, and the mother of his children, as well. In that moment he knew he had fallen for her all over again, and, _Maker_ , he admired her with every fiber of his being for all she was to him and all she had accomplished that day.

“I am so proud of you, Arian,” the man said to his wife, who looked up at him with a bashful smile. Five years ago he wouldn’t have even imagined that those crystalline eyes he had seen for the first time during the Conclave’s demise would be the same ones he would be staring into on the day of his children’s birth. The same ones that his children just so happened to possess themselves.

But here they were. All of them. Such a reality left his heart at ease, quite the contrast to how he felt about the situation an hour before.

**Author's Note:**

> I know I wrote the twins being born over a year ago, but I wanted to redo it with my Inquisition remaining post-trespasser universe :3 I think it’s more powerful this time around. 
> 
>  
> 
> **Kudos, comments, and anything else are always appreciated!! :D**


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